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TEPPFA, the European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Manufacturers welcomes the revised Drinking Water Directive (DWD), which the plenary session of the European Parliament approved on 15 December.
The new Directive will guarantee safer access to water for all Europeans. It aims at improving consumers’ confidence in the safety of tap water and allows for access to safe drinking water for all.
For the first time, uniform requirements are set for materials in contact with drinking water, including plastic piping systems. Within four years, a first European positive list of starting substances as well as procedures and methods for testing and accepting materials and products will be established
The new Drinking Water Directive will enter into use 20 days after citation in the Official Journey of the European Union. Member States will then have two years to comply.
TEPPFA encourages the European Commission and the European Member States to ensure full and effective implementation of the DWD, in order to secure that the positive impacts are actually realised.
TEPPFA is a member of the European Drinking Water Consortium (EDW) and is committed and willing to support the European Commission, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the Joint Research Centre in their implementation work.
TEPPFA urges the European Commission to also utilise the European standardisation system in the implementation of the DWD as it provides an inclusive, transparent and expert-driven mechanism for developing test methods and product standards.
Ilari Aho, Chairman of the TEPPFA Working Group Drinking Water and member of EDW comments: “After several years of intensive work the European Parliament finally adopted the revision of an ambitious Drinking Water Directive. TEPPFA supports all efforts, in particular regulatory efforts, to safeguard and improve both the quality of drinking water, people’s access to it and the quality of drinking water supply and distributions systems, such as plastic piping systems. A common European system will improve the functioning of the internal market and provide for consistent quality of products in contact with drinking water that are placed on the European market.”